clarke



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

W. H. CLARKE. END GATE FOR WAGONS.

No. 309,767. PatentedDec. 23, 1884.

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2 SheetsSheet 2.

(No Model.)

W. H. CLARKE.

END GATE FOR WAGONS.

I Patented Dec. 23, 1884.

Eric.

PATENT VILLIAM H. CLARKE, OF OLEAN, NElV YORK.

EN D-GATE FOR WAGONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 309,767, dated December 23, 1884.

Application filed March 26, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, VVILLIAM H. CLARKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olean, county of Oattaraugus,and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in End-Gates for WVagons, Cars, Trucks, Sleighs, &c., of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fastening devices for end boards or tail gates of wagons, cartrucks, sleighs, and other boxes used for storage and transportation purposes.

The essential objects of the invention are to lock a detachable end board or gate firmly to the side-boards of the wagon or truck body, and prevent the rattling and vertical displacement thereof by the jolting or jarring of the wagon 5 to provide simple and effective means for operating the locking devices carried by the wagon or other box, and hold the same in secure engagement with interlocking devices fitted on the end board; furthermore, to locate and construct the end-gate-fastening devices in such a manner that they will not project beyond the customary cleats between which the end-board slides, thus placing said devices out of contact with the loaded articles on the wagon when the end-gate is removed; and, finally, to properly guide the movement of the locking devices carried on the wagon or other body, and hold the same firmly locked when the end-gate is removed, in order to prevent the rattling displacement.

I attain the above results by the construction and arrangement of devices which will be hereinafter more fully described, and then set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is an elevation of a wagon-box, showing an end gate locked in place by my improved fastening devices. Fig. 2 is aview showing the end-gate removed and the shiftable locking bars projected beyond the guide-cleats on the wagon-box. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section of a wagonbox end-gate and fastening devices. Fig. 4 is a detail View of the slotted cam -lever for operating the shiftable locking-bar. Fig. 5 is a detail view of said locking bar. Fig. 6 is a face view of the end gate with the end slotted bar that engages with the shiftable locking-bars on the wagon-box. Fig.-7 is a sectional view of said slotted bar. Fig. 8 is ,the vertical cleats a.

a detail View of the face-plate on the wagonbox, having a guide sleeve or socket for the shiftable locking-bar and Fig. 9 is a plan view of a portion of the box. Fig. 10 is modification of bar E.

The letterA designates so much of a wagon, car, sleigh, or other body or box as is necessary to show the manner of fitting and holding in position the vertically sliding and removable end-board or tailgate 13. Vertical cleats a, secured to the inner sides of the sideboards of the wagon or other box in the customary manner, constitute guideways in which the end-board is seated so as to slide freely up and down when it is in an unlocked condition. At the sides of the wagon or other box are located eccentric or cam levers C, which are fulcrumed or hung on horizontally shiftable 1ocking-bars D, that move through the side-boards of the wagon-box and operate in the guideways for the end-board,formed by These levers O are each provided with a cam-head having a slot, 0, which virtually causes said head to consist of two cheek-plates, between which the lockingbar D is fitted, a pivot or fulcrum pin or bolt, d, passing transversely through said cheekplates and the locking-bar, serving to connect these parts. The inner end of each lockingbar D terminates in a vertical hook, D, and at the base of said hook is formed an offset, D", for the object hereinafter stated.

The above devices co-operate with aninterlocking bar, E, fitted on the outer side or face of the end-board or tail-gate, as is shown in Fig. 6. The bar E extends through vertical cleats or strips b secured to the end-board, and has a limited sliding movement in. said cleats, it being understood that the end portions, 6", of said bar E are provided with vertical slots 0 which extend to the ends of the bar, where they terminate in top and bottom grooves, 6, formed by asmall solid portion, 6 of the bar E, as is shown in Fig. 7.

It is evident that, when the hookedlockingbars D are in the projected state shown in Fig. 2, the slotted bar E is, by the descent of the end board or gate between the guide-c1eats a, causedto receive the hooked ends of said bars D, and the downward movement, of the cam-levers O, fulcrumed on said bars, will 2 oa'ie'i eifect the drawing of the bars D in an outward direction from the end-board. In consequence thereof it will be seen that the hooks on the bars D are caused to interlock with the ends of the bar E, and that the pressure of the camheads upon the wagon or other box willserve to hold the parts in a securely-locked position. I

The interlocking of the above parts in the described manner being at right angles to the points from which the force is exerted that would by the jolting of the wagon effect the vertical displacement of a tail-gate or (and board, it follows that no lifting action or force will effect the throwing out of position of the end-board after it has been locked in position.

It should be stated that one of the guidecleats a on each side of the wagon-box is reduced in thickness at its upper end,'and that the hooked locking-bars D operate against or in line with said reduced portions. The object of this conformation is to bring the locking-bars beyond the space occupied by the end-gate, and allow said bars to properly enter the slotted bar carried by the end-gate.

In order to cause the locking-bars to be drawn in a true line through the side-boards, I fit in the latter a metal sleeve or socket, G, which forms an integral part of a vertical faceplate, H, secured to the outer sides of the wagon-box by means of screws or other appropriate fastening devices. It will thus be seen that these face-platcs,with their sockets,serve for the proper guidance and support of the hooked locking-bars.

It has already been stated that the cam-heads of the operating-levers are slotted for the reception of the locking-bars, and it may be added that the latter are completely inclosed in said slotted heads when said levers are in the pendent position shown in Fig. 1, and the pressure of the canrheads is being exerted upon the wagon or other box.

It is desirable that, when the wagon is used without an end-gatefor example, when In inber is being carried no projections be left in the interior of the wagon-box to come in contact with the board, and for this reason I have made the locking-bars D of such a length that they can be drawn into the spaces between the guidecleats for the end-board; and in order to prevent the rattling of the locking-bars, or prevent any play or vibrations thereof, I provide the offset D' at the base of each hook D. The locking of the camlevers against the wagoirbox will cause the offsets to be pressed against the inner ends of the sleeves or sockets oft-he face-plates, through which the hooked bars operate for attaining the above-mentioned result.

In order to fit the end-gate in position when the locking devices are placed as last described, it is only necessary to raise the camlevers, whereupon the hooked ends of the locking-bars are moved inwardly and caused to clear the solid or grooved ends of said bars and come in line with the slots in the latter.

The weight of the end-gate then causes it to drop into position, and it is locked by the action' of the levers' in the manner already described.

The interlocking bar may be made in two pieces-that is, the centerportion omitted and the end slotted pieces be rigidly constructed with the endgate, as shown in Fig. 10.

I am aware that a vertically-sliding end-gate has been provided with a rod having a hook at each end to engage an eye at the inner end of a bolt passing through the side of the vehicle-body in rear of the vertical groove in which the end-gate slides, the other or outer end of said bolt havingafemale screw-thread receiving a male screw held in place by a plate, and having an attachedlever-arm, whereby the male screw can be rotated and the eye of the female screw-bolt drawn outward and interlocked with the hook on the end of the rod carried by the end-gate. My invention improves such construction, in that a more simple and less expensive mechanism is provided, and I employ a cam'lever having a slot to form checks, which embrace and are pivoted to the outer end of a fiat sliding bar having a hook at its inner end to interlock with aslot in a bar carried by the end-gate. This perinits a narrow slot to be cut through the side of the vehicle-body for introducing the sliding locking-bar, after which the divided or slotted head can be pivoted to the outer end of the said locking-bar. \Vhere a screw having a lever-handle is employed to secure the end-gate, many objections exist, the prominent ones being that the screw-threads rapidly wear, the gate loosens by the constant jarring, and if the screw be operated with any force the threads strip off or become injured. Besides, the inner eyed ends of the screws or other devices as heretofore employed project at all times beyond the cleats constituting the guideway for the end-gate, and hence become bent, broken, or displaced in loading or unloading the wagon.

I am also aware that pivoted cam-levers have been employed in connection with sliding bars having eyed inner ends to engage hooks on rods carried by the endgate, and such, therefore, I do not claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- V 1. The combination of an end-gate, B, sliding vertically in guideways on the body, abar, E, on the gate having a longitudinal slot, 6 at its end, the sliding locking-bar D, guided through the side of the body, and having at one end the hook D and offset D, for confining the end-gate, the said offset interlocking with the slotted bar to prevent vertical movement of the end-gate, and the cam-lever 0, having the slot 0, to form checks which embrace and are pivoted to the outer end of the locking-bar, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the body having vertical cleats a at its sides to form guideways,

the end-gate sliding vertically in the guideways, a bar, E, having a slot, 6 at its end, the horizontally sliding locking bar D, guided through the side of the body, between the cleats attached to each side, an d having a vertically-projecting hook to engage the slotted bar, said body-cleats serving to protect the hooked end of the locking-bar when the endgate is removed, and the swinging cam-lever.

D, pivoted to the outer end of the locking-bar, substantially as described.

3. A fastening for a Vertically-sliding endgate, consisting of the bar E, having the end slot, 6 the faceplate H, constructed with the lateral guide sleeve or socket G, a lockingbar, D, sliding through the sleeve, and having its inner end provided with a hook to interlock with the slotted bar at right angles to the point from which the force is exerted that would effect vertical movement of the endgate, and the swinging cam-lever 0, bearing on the face-plate, and having a slot, 0, receiving and pivoted to the outer end of the locking-bar, substantially as described.

4. A fastening for vertically-sliding endgates, consisting of the bar E, having the end slots, e 0 the horizontally-sliding locking-bar D, having at its inner end a hook, D, and an offset, D, for interlocking with the slots of the bar at right angles to the point fromwhich the force is exerted that would effect vertical displacement of the end-gate, a swinging cam-lever having a slot, 0, and pivoted to the outer end of thelocking-bar, and the plate H, having the lateral sleeve G, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

\VILLIAM H. CLARKE.

Vitnesses:

T, W. LARSEN, I. G. DARRIN. 

